 June 24, 2016 - 10:52pm | I'm making a 3D model of the laser pistol in the Alpha Dawn basic rule book. There appears to be a switch at the top of the grip where the thumb could slide it towards the trigger. I believe this is the safety switch. To the right of this switch is another possible switch or lever at the top of the grip and just under the round knobby thing at the back of the gun. What is this thing / lever / switch? Also where is the SEU clip on thus gun? Is it the long round knobby thing at the back of the gun? How does one adjust the SEU setting on the gun? What other features and components do you guys see in the drawing of the laser pistol? -iggy |
 June 30, 2016 - 11:31am | Rattraveller is right. There is no functional use for a flash hider on a laser. The scattering of light you mention from fog, dust, etc. will just exist at the exit of the flash hider and continue the length of the beam. A laser does not discharge gass nor is the light spreading as it comes out of the laser cavity window. The beam of light is columnated so there are no incident rays in any other direction than straight out toward the target. The diffusion angles of lasers are across such large distances that the angle from the source is essentially zero. I see the inclusion of a muzzle break on this as a liberty of the artist and not a specification from an experienced engineer desiging lasers. The community at large is used to seeing cool shapes at the end of weapon barrels so the designers have done this to meet public expectations. I would use these extra features to my advantage and dress up a heat sink to look like a flash supressor and to keep keep people from putting fingerprints and dirt on the laser cavity window. I want the laser cavity window as clean as possible so that the highest amount of laser energy is passed through it. Also any dirt on the window is going to get cooked onto the window over repeated use. The decorative flash suppressor can also seal the laser cavity window with a cheap secondary window that is disposable inside the flash suppressor decoration. A cooling shroud works as an alternate idea. Back to the safety on the weapon. I do not see this weapon as having additional safeties like contemporary power tools. The safety in the laser pistol and rifle artwork is half and inch to and inch too low. Where it is at now it is inside the grip of the user roughly right behind the thumb knuckle. I was searching for another explaination for the switch in this location but I may not find something plausible. I'm trying to make the 3D model true to the art but I may have to correct such egegious mistakes. Isn't that right about where it should be? the pivot at the joint with the switch where the ball of the thumb can activate it? The feature above the grip in the back that I colored yellow may not be a switch at all. This could be part of the grip added by the PGC graphics design team to improve the look of the industrial design. No function but style. If it isn't, then you have to add on a new switch for the clip release somewhere. |
 June 30, 2016 - 1:36pm | Late to this thread but the bulb on the back may just be an extension of the lasing cavity and may house the light source that triggers the lasing in the first place. Since the dispersion of a laser beam is related to the length of the lasing cavity and the size of the exit window, the longer the lasing cavity the lower the dispersion (and therefore longer range). Maybe the standard pistol body wasn't quite long enough for the range desired and so they extended the lasing cavity back past the grip. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 June 30, 2016 - 2:02pm | We could always make this the official laser pistol design: Or maybe not...  Joe Cabadas |
June 30, 2016 - 3:14pm | If we were going pulp/atompunk, I'd prefer something like this: |
June 30, 2016 - 3:18pm | If we were going pulp/atompunk, I'd prefer something like this: Now those are laser weapons! Joe Cabadas |
 July 9, 2016 - 4:30pm | Is it just me or does the SF laser pistol looks seem like it was influenced by the Starblazers's Cosmo blaster? In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
July 9, 2016 - 8:53pm | They look related to me. They are from the same time period. Starblazers could have been popular with the game designers. Where did you find this picture. This looks lime an image of a 3D model. -iggy |
 August 27, 2016 - 8:19pm | Just a suggestion for the safety... |
